When creating a beautiful home, we tend to think about the visual details. Those little touches here and there that transform your personal space. But the other senses are also important, and particularly scent. The everyday practicalities of family and pets can make this difficult to achieve. However, making a few small changes can transform your home into a fresh and sweet-smelling sanctuary.
1. Locate And Eliminate Lingering Odours –
The first step to creating a fragrant environment is to eliminate bad odours. There may be several culprits. For example, blocked drains and stagnant water can cause nasty smells. A simple call to a drainage company can rectify this. But other causes may not be as easy to remove. Eg., cooking smells and pets, etc.
Often cooking smells build up due to poor ventilation. You can rectify this by installing an extractor fan. It is important to keep the filters clean and replace them regularly. Filters are another place that retains odours. Cleaning the cooker, oven, and fridge will also help to set free any lingering cooking smells.
Pets are another potential source of unwanted smells. It’s part of the territory, unfortunately. If you have a dog, keep it clean by regular baths. This will prevent that ‘eau de wet dog’ scent. Cleaning up after your pets is also important. This means washing bedding regularly and changing litter trays. It can be very tricky if you have a pet who marks his or her territory. That is a challenge to remove. Try some homemade remedies to remove the scent. This will prevent them from returning to that area.
If all else fails, use a
[Image: Unsplash]
2. Cleaning –
Once you have removed the worst culprits, it’s time to focus on the rest of your home. It goes without saying that a clean home is likely to smell fresh too. But there can be dips in between cleaning. To prevent this, try a ‘little and often’ approach. Depending on the size of your home, try spending thirty minutes cleaning each day. This will allow you to alternate rooms and keep on top of the whole area.
Potential sources of lingering smells are:
Carpets, rugs, and flooring
Furniture such as sofas and chairs
Curtains
Bathrooms and WCs
So, it’s important to play close attention to these areas. A steamer is a handy piece of kit for around your home. It can be used on lots of different surfaces, including household textiles. It is a great way to remove bad smells from furniture and curtains. It cleans deep within carpet piles and textiles. And for an extra fresh carpet scent, combine baking soda with dried herbs. Scatter on the carpet and leave for half an hour. Then Vacuum as usual. Herbs like rosemary and lavender work well and provide a clean, fresh scent.
3. Introducing Fragrance –
[Image: Pixabay]
Once you have eliminated the source of bad smells and have a clean home, you can introduce home fragrances. There are many products you can buy such as air fresheners, candles, oil burners, etc. However, there are many other natural sources that can scent your home.
For example:
The wonderful aroma of baking cakes and bread
Cut flowers or the smell of the garden wafting in through the window
Petrichor – the smell of the first rain on a dry day
Clean laundry
The trick to a fresh, fragrant home is to remove nasty, lingering odours, and deep clean. Target problem areas and keep on top of them. You can then introduce your favourite fragrances.
Love, Charlotte x
*This is a collaborative post